


Day 25 - Separation Anxiety

by moonblossom



Series: Pre-Nickels Nickels 30 Day Challenge [25]
Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Comfort, Divorce, Friendship, Honesty, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-10-27
Packaged: 2018-02-22 19:01:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2518427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonblossom/pseuds/moonblossom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kelly's not the type to look for comforting platitudes or white lies. Besides, Nick is incapable of lying to him, even to spare his feelings.</p>
<p>
  <a href="http://wintergrey.dreamwidth.org/15168.html">Day 25: Brutal Honesty</a>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day 25 - Separation Anxiety

"We're getting a divorce," were the first words Nick heard when he answered the phone. Kelly's voice was surprisingly flat and lacking in any emotional affect, considering the statement. Nick thought he heard something shattering in the background and felt his pulse ratchet up. He was familiar enough with that sort of sound coming from a domestic environment to be worried for Kelly's safety.

He looked at his watch, trying to mentally account for evening traffic. "I'll be there in twenty. You good?"

"I'll be fine, Nick. You don't need to rush over here. She's just..." Kelly sighed heavily on the other end of the line. "It was an ugly plate anyway." He laughed sardonically and Nick knew he was putting on a brave front.

"Fuck that. I'll see you as soon as I can."

He spent the entire car ride cursing traffic and drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, getting to Kelly's house in just under fifteen minutes. Kelly was sitting on the front steps, staring up at the darkening sky.

There were dark circles under Kelly's eyes, the light in his eyes dim. Nick made to sit down on the stairs next to him, but Kelly glanced over his shoulder towards the house and stood up, absently wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Probably better if we go somewhere for a bit."

Nick's limbs felt heavy and he could feel the beginnings of a headache creeping in. "You need me to grab anything from in there?"

Kelly shook his head. "Nah, she's just shouting and fuming. She'll run out of steam soon. I shouldn't go out for too long. It's just..." He shifted his weight, and Nick could tell he was trying to decide whether to say something or not. "Your name came up a couple times." Kelly smiled weakly as he got into Nick's car. "Figured it'd be better if you didn't come in right now."

Something about the way Kelly said it made Nick nervous. Was she jealous of their friendship? What did that say about the two of them? He settled in behind the wheel before reaching over and patting Kelly's leg.

"You wanna come back to the house for a bit?"

Kelly shook his head. "I don't really-- Too noisy. I just want some peace and quiet while I sort my shit out, you know?"

Nick nodded. "You want me to leave you alone?"

Kelly's eyes went wide. "No!"

Nick let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. The idea of leaving Kelly alone right now made him uncomfortable, but he would have done it if it was what Kelly had needed. He was relieved that wasn't the case.

They drove aimlessly for a bit, ending up in the parking lot of a particularly shitty Denny's. Kelly got out of the car and looked up at the sign, chuckling quietly. The ugly fluorescent light made him look strange and alien.

"Wow, Denny's? You really know how to impress a guy, Irish."

Nick laughed and elbowed Kelly gently in the ribs as they headed across the parking lot. "Tonight, babe, I'm pulling out all the stops." He gestured to the door, spreading his hands wide in an attempt to make Kelly laugh. 

An exhausted and apathetic-looking waitress took their orders and for a while they just sat quietly and waited. Nick reached across the table, squeezing Kelly's hand in silent support. Whenever Kelly was ready to talk, he'd talk. There was no point in forcing him.

A few minutes after their fries arrived, Kelly let out a huge sigh that made Nick's insides cramp. He sounded utterly defeated.

"What the hell were we thinking, Nick?"

"She made you happy, didn't she?"

Kelly snorted. "If that's all it takes for a successful marriage, I'd be better off marrying _you_."

At Kelly's words, something dark and possessive flared up inside of Nick. He tried to shrug it off. "Something tells me we'd be incompatible."

Kelly chewed pensively on a fry for a few moments before swallowing. "I bet we could make it work. You're creative."

Sighing, Nick shifted in the booth. His knee bumped against Kelly's under the table and he just left it there, grounding them together.

"You've already made up your mind, haven't you?"

"It's been a long time coming, Nicko. We both should have seen it sooner. I'd rather acknowledge that now rather than have us both grow bitter and angry."

Nick frowned. "Wasn't she breaking shit when you left?"

"Just that one fucking ugly plate her aunt gave us."

"Oh Christ, the one with the drunk-looking lobster or whatever the hell it was on it?"

Kelly finally let out a loud, genuine laugh at that. "Yeah, that one. She'll be fine when I get home. We both just need some space to sort out our shit."

It felt good to laugh, and for a while they just sat together, eating and snickering. Eventually though, the weight returned to Kelly's shoulders. Nick wanted desperately to hug him, but he stayed put.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I doing the right thing, agreeing to this?"

"This is where I'm supposed to tell you everything's going to work out and you two should fight for love and blah fuckin' blah, right?"

Kelly's lips twisted into a wry smile as Nick spoke. "Something like that, yeah?"

"Can I be blunt?" Nick prodded his fries with a toothpick before putting it in his mouth and chewing on it and talking around it.

"I should fucking hope so. If you can't tell me the truth, who will?" Kelly reached over and stole some ranch dressing off Nick's plate.

"It'll be better for everyone," Nick said softly. They both knew that when he said _everyone_ he didn't just mean Kelly and his soon-to-be ex-wife. "And get your own bloody ranch. Or at least admit it's vastly superior to ketchup."

"Never," Kelly said, smirking as he stole another dollop. Nick was glad to see him feeling more playful. "And, yeah, thanks."

"You need to get back to her?" Nick asked, hesitantly. Truth be told, he wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to Kelly yet, even though they'd see each other the next day.

"I probably should," Kelly mumbled. "But god damn, that sundae looks good." He pointed to one of those sticky little menu cards in the corner of the booth. Nick smiled and gestured over to the waitress. If a sundae would make Kelly happy, then a sundae he'd get. If only everything else were that simple.


End file.
